The Best Albums of 2018

This year, 2018, has been one of the most eventful years in recent memory here in Odenton, MD. With so many things going on, it’s easy to forget about all the amazing albums that came out. The cold weather makes it the perfect time to get cozy in your apartment here at The Groves at Piney Orchard and snuggle up with some good music, so we wanted to put together a list of the best albums of 2018 for a great relaxing evening.

Cardi B is one of the best rappers in the world. According to Vulture, “Cardi’s career has gone so swimmingly since then that her banner Billboard chart run feels like a coronation or an anointing. Invasion of Privacy is proof that she wasn’t just funnier than the cast of her reality show. She was also a more versatile rapper. Cardi can hold court over trap beats, as on ‘Money Bag’ and ‘Bickenhead’; bear her heart and sing a little, like she does in ‘Be Careful’; plot on a cheating man with her homegirls on records like ‘Thru Your Phone’ and ‘I Do’; or take you through the tough spots in her rags to riches story, as ‘Get Up 10’ does. She crushes everything she tries, and it’s quite possible that she wrote and recorded a lot of it while pregnant. The boys running the rap biz could never.”

Vulture is a huge fan of this album as well, and deservedly so. “Janelle Monáe is a gifted actor, singer, songwriter, producer, rapper, and dancer, and her new Dirty Computer project wants you to know she’s the total package. It’s an album and an ‘emotion picture,’ a hearty body of songs about seeking a carefree life and promoting positive vibes and a short, smart sci-fi flick about a totalitarian government that goes to great pains to press citizens into mindless automatons. Because Janelle knows her music, Dirty Computer is a smart, versatile collection of funk, pop, rock, and soul vibes. Because she stans her legends, there’s well-placed guest spots from Stevie Wonder, Brian Wilson, and Pharrell Williams throughout the project. Monáe sings about wishing for a ‘crazy, classic life’ on the album cut of the same name, but from the looks of things, she’s already well on her way.”ÃÂÃÂ¢ÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂ

After the breakout success of their 4th album, Blurryface, and hits like “Stressed Out” and “Ride”, dynamic duo Twenty One Pilots returned after a year long hiatus with a smash. Trench is true to Twenty One Pilots’ genre-defying style. From the rock chorus of “Jumpsuit”, to the pop-funk stylings of “My Blood”, to the fast-moving raps of “Levitate” and “Pet Cheetah”, and the lyrical piano ballads of “Neon Gravestones” and “Leave the City”, there’s no genre of music that Twenty One Pilots can’t craft a masterpiece from. Written by singer/songwriter/pianist/bassist Tyler Joseph and backed by Josh Dun’s innovative drumming, Trench also tells a story of Joseph’s battle with mental illness and his newfound fame after the duo’s 2015 breakout through the fictional world of a place called Trench, the namesake of the album. Never one to sugarcoat things, Joseph’s lyrics will move you and have you searching for the hidden meanings within every second of this hit album.

What were some of your favorite songs and albums from the last year? Be sure to comment below to share them with the rest of our apartment community. Thanks for taking the time to read our blog this month.